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Mars orbiter spots new crater that may be ExoMars's lost lander

NEW pockmarks on the surface of Mars seem to be linked to the ExoMars Schiaparelli lander, which was lost shortly before it was supposed to touch down on the planet’s surface on 19 October.

“The lander may have exploded on impact, since its thrusters’ fuel tanks were probably not empty“

Pictures of the planned Meridiani Planum landing site, taken by NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter on 20 October, show two marks that weren’t visible in May this year.

One mark is bright, and is believed to be associated with the lander’s parachute. The other is a larger, darker patch about a kilometre to the north – probably the impact site of the lander itself.

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The European Space Agency and Roscosmos mission plan had been for the lander to detach from the parachute about 1 kilometre above the surface, and fire its thrusters to brake its descent down to 2 metres. It would then fall the remaining distance to plunk down on Mars safely, if not elegantly.

The images suggest that its thrusters switched off prematurely, and it dropped from an altitude of between 2 and 4 kilometres at a speed exceeding 300 kilometres per hour. The lander may have exploded on impact, since its thrusters’ fuel tanks were probably not empty.

The Trace Gas Orbiter – the other half of the mission – is still functioning well. It should begin taking scientific data next month.